Holborn
| Holborn | |
  Holborn shown within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Camden |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | WC1, WC2 |
| Postcode district | EC1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| European Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Holborn and St. Pancras |
| London Assembly | Barnet and Camden |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Coordinates:
Holborn (pronounced /ˈhoʊbɚn/ or /ˈhoʊbɝːn/ "ho bun") is an area of Central London, England, named, it is suggested, after the Hole-bourne (the stream in the hollow) which flowed through the area from north to south, to the Thames. This river is better known by its alternative name as the River Fleet. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running from St Giles's High Street as High Holborn to Gray's Inn Road to Holborn Viaduct, crossing the borders of the City of Westminster, London Borough of Camden and the City of London.
History
The name Holborn is derived from a hamlet called Holebourne to the East which was established long before 1249, this name in turn taken from the river Fleet, now subterranean but once flowing under Farringdon Road/ Farringdon Street. In the days when Holborn was a sub-urban, the Elizabethan herbalist John Gerard cultivated the land with much horticultural zeal. Here he was the first to catalogue over 1000 native species which is housed at the British Library .
Charles Dickens took up residence in Furnivall's Inn, now covered by the old Prudential building now named as 'Holborn Bars' designed by Alfred Waterhouse. The Bars were the boundary of the City of London until 1994 but only the area of the south-side of Holborn was under its jurisdiction. Dickens also put his character 'Pip', in Great Expectations, in residence at Barnard's Inn opposite, the current home of Gresham College, and Staples Inn notable for being used as the promotional image for "Old Holborn" tobacco. The three of these were Inns of Chancery. The most northerly of the Inns of Court, Gray's Inn, is in Holborn as is Lincoln's Inn. This demonstrates the area's connection with the legal professions since mediaeval times.
Over the coming years the area began to diversify and become recognisable as the modern street. A plaque stands at number 120 commemorating Thomas Earnshaw's invention of the Marine chronometer, one of the catalysts which facilitated long-distance travel.
In the modern era High Holborn has become a centre for entertainment venues. Twenty two inns or taverns are recorded in the 1860s. Originally Weston's Music Hall, the Holborn Empire stood between 1857 and 1960 when it was pulled down after structural damage sustained in the Blitz. The theatre premièred the first full-length feature film in 1914, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, a 50-minute melodrama filmed in Kinemacolour[1]. At the corner of Hatton Garden was the old family department store of Gammidges. Until 1992, the London Weather Centre was located in the street.
In the eighteenth century, Holborn was the location of the infamous Mother Clap's molly house.
The Prudential insurance company relocated in 2002. The Daily Mirror offices used to be directly opposite it, but the site is now occupied by the J Sainsbury head office. Further east in the gated avenue of Ely Place is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in London, St Etheldreda's Church. Ely Place is on the site of what was from 1300 until 1772, the site of the Bishop of Ely’s London palace. Hatton Garden, the centre of the Diamond trade was leased to a favourite of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Christopher Hatton at the insistence of the Queen to provide him with an income. Behind the Prudential Building lies the Anglo Catholic church of St Alban the Martyr[2]. Originally built in 1863 by architect William Butterfield it was destroyed in 1941 and a new church was built in the Victorian Gothic style. On the southern side lie Chancery Lane and Fetter Lane.
On Holborn Circus lies the Church of St Andrews, an ancient Guild Church, that survived the Great Fire of London. However, the parochial authority decided, nevertheless, to commission Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild it. Although the nave was destroyed in the Blitz, the reconstruction was faithful to Wren's original. In the middle of the circus there is a large equestrian statue of Prince Albert by Charles Bacon (1874)the City's official monument to him. It was presented by Charles Oppenheim, of the Diamond Trading Company De Beers, whose headquarters building is onnearby Charterhouse Street.
In the early twenty-first century, Holborn has been the site of new offices and hotels, which have exploited its excellent public transport links (Holborn underground station is the junction of the Central and Piccadilly lines), and its strategic location between the City of London and the West End.
The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was created in 1899. It was abolished in 1965 and its area formed part of the London Borough of Camden.
Education
- For education within the Westminster portion of Holborn see the main City of Westminster article.
Transport and locale
Nearest places
- Bloomsbury
- Clerkenwell
- St Pancras
- Charing Cross
- Soho
- Covent Garden
- St. Giles - the area around St. Giles High Street (to the west of Holborn)
Nearest underground stations
- Chancery Lane
- Covent Garden
- Holborn
- St. Paul's
Notable people
The following is a list of notable people who were born in Holborn or are significantly connected with Holborn.
- Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), composer, born at 15 Theobalds Road. Won international acclaim for his works especially the Song of Hiawatha Trilogy.
- Charles Dickens lived in Doughty Street where there is a museum
- Sir John Barbirolli conductor, was born in Southampton Row (Blue Plaque above pub)
- Sheila Gallagher MBE - born October 20, 1924 in Holborn, Gallagher is a long serving lollipop lady who now monitors the crossing on Queen Victoria Street.
- John Shaw Jr - (1803–1870); born in Holborn, Shaw was an English architect of the 19th Century who was complimented as a designer in the "Manner of Wren".
- Barry Sheene MBE - (September 11, 1950 – March 10, 2003); spent his early years in Holborn, Sheene was a British former World Champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.
- Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770), English poet born in Bristol died in a garret in Holborn at the age of 17. A posthumous darling of the Romantics, he is now remembered as 'the marvellous Boy' (Wordsworth). The Victorian Henry Wallis returned to Chatterton's Brooke Street room to paint George Meredith, the novelist, in a now frequently copied pose of the dead poet (Tate Britain).
- Eric Morley, founder of Miss World was born in Holborn.
- Former European boxing champion Errol Christie trains City executives to engage in white collar boxing at Gymbox on High Holborn including TV entertainer Dermot O'Leary
References
- The World, the Flesh and the Devil at the Internet Movie Database
- St Alban the Martyr accessed 17 May 2007
Photos
 Holborn Bars, built as the headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company |
 The headquarters of J Sainsbury plc at Holborn Circus |
 Staple Inn building near Chancery Lane tube station |
 Grange Holborn Hotel in Holborn |
 High Holborn |
 Entrance to Gray's Inn |
External links
- Holborn and Bloomsbury, by Sir Walter Besant and Geraldine Edith Mitton, 1903, from Project Gutenberg
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Holborn". Image Credit.
